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The new RACT Freycinet Lodge Coastal Pavilions offer an immersive accommodation experience within the coastal bush of the Freycinet National Park on Tasmania’s East Coast. Designed by Liminal Studio, the Waterfront Pavilions take their cues from nature.

The form of the
buildings is representative of the coastal granite rock’s ‘smooth, rounded and
beautiful forms’ on the water’s edge directly in front of the structures. The
exterior is clad in charred hardwood, and internally Tasmanian hardwoods
provide warmth and a connection to the wilderness outside.

Tasmanian Oak was used
for the wall linings. Solid Blackwood and Blackwood veneer was used for joinery
including benchtops and vanities. Tasmanian Oak plywood formed the floors and
ceilings.

Image by Dianna Snape, Design by Liminal Studio

Hobart-based builders
Cordwell Lane, who specialise in high end architectural works, were responsible
for the construction.

Director of Cordwell Lane,
Michael Lane, said the design was unique with a few tricky elements to it.

“The walls are curved, the roof planes are all on a rake, and each wall plate is also tapered out on a splay,” Michael explains.

“Using timber helped
achieve the curved wall because we kept the boards at a width that could quite
easily work around the curves of the design.”

The builders ended up
putting on about 12 kilometres of internal linings. The boards were random
thickness and lengths creating a patterned effect.

“Timber brings
softness to a project. It softens the room and gives the room a nice textural
feel. It’s also really good for layering wall fabrics and breaking a room up.
It creates a bit more interest than a bland plasterboard wall.”

The buildings have Tasmanian
Oak plywood on the floors and ceilings, which went down in 300mm wide long tiles
or “floorboards.”

“Being a Tasmanian Oak
product, meant the ply would provide a really good hard-wearing surface at a
lower price point. It also went down quickly, so it saved money on both
materials and labour. This allowed us to put more money into the joinery,
fittings and fixtures so we could use a more premium timber in the Blackwood.

“Blackwood has a lot of variances in its appearance, so that provides a really beautiful feature. The colours in it are great, making it a really nice warm timber.”

Michael says the
outcome on the Pods is spectacular – a project they’re really proud of.

Michael Lane on Tasmanian Timbers

Michael says that recommending
Tasmanian timbers is always high on their agenda.

“We love using
Tasmanian timbers, it’s a great product.

“Using Tasmanian Oak,
we know that we’re getting a good quality timber. The availability of it is
great and the suppliers that provide it are easy to deal with.

“Most importantly we know that the timber that turns up is going to behave as it is supposed to - not shrink or warp like some other mainland species do. It’s not as volatile as a lot of those. The moisture content is always good, and we know how it is going to behave.”

In General, Michael
says “Tassie” timbers are really good quality for internal applications –
furniture grade or wall-cladding and linings.

“They’re easy to use
in the fact that they’re nice and straight, the grain patterns are usually
really good. They’re not that hard that they splinter.

“Tas Oak in particular
doesn’t have a lot of knots, it’s a nice straight grain timber, easy to cut,
easy to use, you can easily put a nice arras on the edge for example, and you
can nail it onto the wall without it splitting.”

Image by Dianna Snape, Design by Liminal Studio.

Coastal Pavilions at Freycinet Lodge. Image Alistair Bett.

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